Obsession
by Saeka324
Summary: An AangxKataraxZuko... involves Zuko obsessing over something he'll never have because she's already lost to someone else. Rated because I'm liable to curse, and themes are slighty mature. please, no buttheads should read this.
1. Prologue

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_"Who ever loved that loved not at first sight?"_

_Christopher Marlowe_

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**Prologue: The Night**

If one were to live a thousand years they could never comprehend the eerie beauty of her land.

It was oftentimes oppressive, difficult for one who was not native to get past the bitter weather to the sheer splendor beneath. And it oftentimes took a person with a wanderer's heart to realize the loveliness of the Antarctic. A wind would billow across the barren land; the stars would sparkle against snow so white it shone with purity. Icebergs were always a deep, burning, soul reaching blue; the crystalline magnificence of the cold waters only heightening their aloof beauty.The silence that would pour over the land made one think of a time where there was no strife, and its vastness made one think of God. Yet, this was a place that was all consuming, and could wrap its cold fingers around one's heart until they learned to love a place so grand.

Clandestine was its grandeur, a tangled web of secrets that only that most experienced connoisseur could enjoy.

And to enjoy it as a young woman did, to stand and simply watch its brilliance was true bliss. She stood on the edge of a precipice, perched precariously between land and water. Her azure eyes looked towards the immeasurable ocean, the pale light of the moon striking with them with its radiance until they shone and sparkled like gems. They seemed to shift and change, multifaceted like a rare stone, thickly fringed with sooty black eyelashes. Her high cheekbones and darkly tanned skin only seemed to make those magnificent eyes more exotic, make her look more beautiful.

He watched her from below the sheer drop of the Antarctic cliff in the darkness, sitting up on his small watery skiff. His golden eyes burned with desire, and his hands clenched the oars so strongly the knuckles turned white. _Exquisite,_ he thought, his heart pounding heavily with need. _So much perfection in one being… _

A long, silken lock of chocolate hair caressed her cheek, making the tall, dark-haired man long to touch her as the wind did. Brushing, lightly intimate… _What is wrong with me? _He suddenly thought savagely, trying to tear his gaze away. _This isn't the reason I'm here. I'm here for one thing and only one thing. _

_The Avatar. _

_No matter what distractions there may be along the way, I must find him. _

_At all costs. _

_Seven years and not one word from him. _

Frowning he looked up at the girl again, and felt his heart clench with sudden longing. She was… ravishing. Delicate. Ethereal in her beauty. So lovely, and yet so forlorn looking. The sad, down-turned line of her mouth made him want to kiss her until it turned into a smile. Her lovely, sapphire-radiant eyes that shimmered with emotions too numerous to name made him want to wrap his arms around her and stare into those deep pools of blue. Her divine, fragile hands made him want to wrap them around his neck in a lover's caress. Her small, perfect nose made him want to—

_Damn it_, he cursed harshly, forcing himself to look down in the Antarctic waters rather than the fascinating, stunning creature that stood on the snowy cliff above him. _I'm here for the Avatar, not some damnable wench! This is the last place I have searched. If he's not here after all those years… _He left the thought unfinished, savoring the possibilities.

"Hey, Katara!"

At the voice that floated upon the breeze, he looked up sharply. His scowl darkened when he saw a tall, tanned young man place his hands upon her shoulders and turn her around. He was about to rush up at the young man, tell him she was _his_, but reality rushed back to him. _She's **not **mine. _But oh, how he wished it were different! How he wished he could call her his! It surprised him, made him feel a little uncomfortable that a girl he didn't even know, hadn't seen until then could poses him so deeply. It was slightly… unnerving.

He picked up odd pieces of their conversations, forcing himself to look away, to crouch down into the skiff he hadn't taken from his large, iron ship, forcing himself to stay quiet and learn more about these people, to know if they knew about…

"… The Avatar isn't _just _someone, Sokka, it's Aang! We can't just keep referring to him so impersonal! He gave up the world, he gave up trying to save _everything _just so—"

"Katara, stop it! You have to absolve yourself! It wasn't your fault—"

"What, that you almost _died_? It sure as hell wasn't "the avatar's" fault!"

"Why do you…"

The rest if their conversation faded down into silence as a predatory like smirk bloomed upon the young man's face. His golden eyes filled with glee, and he chuckled to himself as he picked up the oars to the skiff and quietly rowed himself away from the land.

_Perfect. They know of the Avatar. _

He would stay awhile longer in this Godforsaken land. He would learn about the Avatar, whatever these pathetic people knew about them, about why he had disappeared so suddenly—so fast.

_And maybe, _he thought, his grin widening, _just maybe, sample that enchanting, exotic beauty. _

_All will be mine. _

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**A Few Moments Before Zuko's Discovery**

Katara lifted her face to the gentle breeze, bathing herself in the glorious splendor of the full moon. The night wrapped itself around her, comforting in its darkness, glorifying in its splendor. She came out here often to think, or to just simply listen to the stars. They always whispered words of advice to her; spoke to her to icy beauty of the Antarctic. Told her of past adventures. Told her of a boy, and a time long ago…

_Seven years,_ she thought, heaving a deep sigh._ Seven long and painful years. When will I ever forgive myself? _She could see his face… picture it perfectly in her mind. And… if she listened hard enough… could hear his laughter on the breeze. It was difficult to think of him. With him came too many memories, too many painful memories. She could dredge up memories of time when she would laugh with her brother and the Avatar somewhat reproachfully. Yet, it was frighteningly easy to remember the most horrible memory of all, that horrible day when she and her brother had left him. _The plan had been flawless. Get in the fire nation prison, get the prisoners, and leave. _And yet... even the most simple of plans have a way of going wrong.

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_F l a s h b a c k_

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"_Let me go!" the girl grunted out, twisting and thrashing in the guard's arms. _

"_Not on your life, missy," the guard hissed back, twisting her arms farther behind her back until she screeched in pain. _

"_Hey! Don't **touch **my little sister, jerkoff!" There was a loud thud as the guard carrying the girl's brother threw him against the wall. _

"_Sokka!" She screamed, only to have a mouth clamped down upon her. _

"_I thought I told you not to talk," the guard snapped as he shoved his way through a door. She bit his thumb hard, causing the guard to yelp in pain. Seeing the opportunity, she kicked his shin, and shoved past him when he grunted and fell to floor. Trying to reach her brother, she pushed her way to where he lay lifeless and crumpled on the floor, sobs threatening to choke her. Someone grabbed the back of her hood before she could, dragging her back before she could reach him. She let out a shriek, only to have a hand clamped on her mouth again as she was whipped around to stare into the blood red eyes of a captain. _

"_So," he began musingly. "You're the little minx whose caused all this trouble." _

_She tried to scream, tried to break free of his grip. _

"_Oh no," he chuckled, tightening his hold on her. "You're not going anywhere. I caught your little friend, the airbender. And I imagine that he'll get me the promotion I've been looking for. He's quitethe hot commodity, you see. I'd like to keep him alive for the moment. But… as for you… I've lost a lot of men due to your little antics. And I'm sure that they won't mind at all having their way with you." _

"_Sir?" A guard asked, turning a questioning glance to the two young teenagers. _

"_Kill them," the Captain said calmly, "In the most painful way you can think of." _

"_My pleasure," he answered, his mouth widening into a grin. _

_This time the girl did manage a scream, a single raw noise that was a young boy's name._

…_**3 Hours Later…** _

_She struggled against her rope that held her tightly, tried to loosen the burn of it as it cut deeply into her skin. She tried to dislodge the gag they had shoved into her mouth, but struggling was futile. They had thrown her into a cell, dark and dank and smelling of rot. It had been hours since she had seen her brother, and even longer since the airbender left to go and make his own way into the prison. _

_Needless to say, he hadn't come back._

_Suddenly a bright light poured in the small room, and the door creaked loudly as a guard stepped into the doorway. "Wakey, wakey, you little prissy wench," he said in gravely voice as he grabbed the rope that tied her hands and dragged her out of the cell. "It's time to go n' meet yore brother. He's just a' **dyin'** to see you," he said amicably, dragging her across the dirt floor and outside onto the wooden deck. The girl winced as he yanked her down the stairs, her head clunking loudly against heavy planks. " 'E's been a little 'tied up' lately." He cackled at his joke. _

_He continued to talk as he hauled her across dry, reddish looking ground, before slinging her onto a spot on the ground. " 'Ere we are, luv," he said, dusting his hands on his pants. "Now, just lemme go get the blokes and that brother o' yours, and then we'll be down to business." _

_Waddling awkwardly away, he disappeared inside a large shed before appearing moments later with her brother being half dragged, half walked towards her. A group of five or four fire soldiers trailed behind him. She thrashed harder against the bindings, trying to reach out to her brother who was stopped a few feet in front of her and thrown to the ground. "Katara!" He began, trying to inch towards her. "I—"_

" '_Ey!" The guard answered, roughly kicking her brother with his boot. "I told you to shut yore mouth!" The girl'sceruleaneyes shone with tears as her brother tightly closed his eyes, and clutched his hurt side. _

"_Now, mates," the guard called, looking back towards the soldiers. " 'ow should we be gettin' about it?" _

_The answer came from a tall, dark haired man, who reached into the humid air and pulled out a long stream of flames towards her brother. When they reached him, his body jumped and jerked, and let out a low scream of pain. "Slowly," he said, walking towards her brother and picking him up by his hair. He drew a small knife from a sheath at his hip and carefully dragged the tip from the corner of her brother's eye down to the edge of his mouth. "So slowly that they'll rue the day they challenged the fire nation!" _

_The resounding cheers that rose up from the guards made fear pool thickly in the girl's stomach. When the guard slung him back to the ground,her eyes widened in panic when she saw the bruises and cuts on her brother's face. Blood welled in deep rivulets from the laceration on his face. "Aww, don't cry sis," he croaked out, blood running down his eyes. "It'll be a' right—"_

"_Shut up!" the tall guard roared, pulling fire out of the air and throwing it at her brother. _

_She tried to cry out, tried to let out the sob that was stuck in her throat as she was forced to listen to the screams of her brother. Each new groan of pain was like a knife slicing into her, until she had to close her eyes, tears caught on her lashes. And when they were done, when the cries of pain had been wrung out from her brother, they dragged her by her braid towards him, making her look into his lifeless eyes, making her look at what those monsters had did to him. _

_And as she stared into the face of her brother, a face covered in blood and bruises, anger began to course through her veins. Her brother... gone. _

_She would never forgive the airbender. _

_Never. _

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_E n d F l a s h b a c k_

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_Remember, _the stars told her. _Remember, remember, remember. _

"Hey, Katara!"

The loud voice jolted her out of her reverie.

"You won't _believe _the fish I caught!" A large hand smacked down onto her shoulder, spinning her around to stare into the jovial blue eyes of her brother. "It's gonna feed us for weeks! And I'm the only one who caught anything! I've just ah, been a brushin' up on my victory dance," he said nonchalantly. "First it goes a little like this!" he then launched himself into a dance that faintly reminded Katara of a couple of stampeding bison. He did a few victory laps around his younger sister before he noticed the down turned line of his sister's mouth. "Why the long face?"

Katara smiled sadly and laughed gently, trying to swallow the tears that came so readily at how close she had been to losing her dear brother. "I was just listening to the stars."

"You listen to them too much," he answered, all past playfulness gone as he clenched her shoulder tightly. "Their dreariness has rubbed off on you. You never seem to _smile_ anymore."

She looked up at her brother, so strong and handsome, his tanned face marred only by a long scar running down his cheek andthose very cheeks flushed with exhilaration of a hunt. He'd grown tall in these years, and it wasn't long before he was due to pick a wife. "They told me to think about that day," she said softly.

The concern in her brother's eyes melted away as his hand tightened on her shoulders so hard it hurt. "Don't," he said harshly. "He said he'd be there for us, yet he never showed up. We only survived because that old woman pulled us out the hole they dug us outside the prison walls. And if the Avatar had been there, we wouldn't have had to go through that."

"I can't help it," she answered gravely, reaching up to delicately trace the scar on his cheek. "I can't help but wonder why he never came, what he was doing… we saw him off before left, did we not? He said he'd be there, did he not?"

Sokka sighed. "Who knows what goes on in the mind of the Avatar? I all I know is that he went back on his word. And you almost died."

"Not _me, _Sokka, you! _You_ almost died!" Katara felt herself begin to get defensive.

"Katara, the Avatar—"

"The Avatar isn't _just _someone, Sokka, it's Aang! We can't just keep referring to him so impersonal! He gave up the world, he gave up trying to save _everything _just so—"

"Katara, stop it! You have to absolve yourself! It wasn't your fault—"

"What, that you almost _died_? It sure as hell wasn't "the avatar's" fault!"

"Why do you keep thinking that? If he had been there in the first place—"

"Don't you see? It wouldn't have mattered if he was there or not, I still was stupid enough to get us caught! If it hadn't been for me, you wouldn't have that scar! If it hadn't been for me and my stupid whim to rescue more people, we wouldn't have been in that situation in the first place! And…" She trailed off, and felt tears tense her throat again.

"And what?" Sokka asked, his voice softened by the tears he saw glistening in her eyes.

"Aang would still be with us." The tears spilled over her eyelashes, running down her tanned face.

Sokka sighed and gathered his sister into his arms. "You can't place the blame on him. You can't place it on anyone."

"I know," she sobbed. "I just—"

"Shhh," he breathed into her hair. "It'll be all right." There was something calming about her brother, no matter how much an idiot he always seemed, and it quieted her down somewhatas sherested her cheek on his large chest. "Now," he began, when her tears were dry, "How 'bout that fish I caught?"

Katara laughed shakily. "It's always pride before reason with you, isn't it?"

"Damn straight," he said. "Now, I hear gran-gran's gonna take my ridiculously huge fish and make her famous stew out of it. Why don't you go get some? It'll make you feel better," he coaxed.

She nodded, brushing off the tears that trailed down her cheeks. "I'm glad I didn't loose you, Sokka." She stood on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "I'll see you back at gran-gran's."

"Don't eat all the stew!" He called after her, his smile fading as he watched her retreating back. _She's never been the same after he left, _he thought, turning around to face the brilliance of the stars. _What do you tell her that makes her so sad? Why do you make her dredge up the past? _

Whatever mystery the stars possessed was not revealed that night, because they only chimed the same haunting melody they told his sister: _remember, remember, remember…_

She had turned into a beautiful woman, blossoming gracefully into her womanhood. The men of the tribe had already noticed, and they had often gone out of their way to make their appreciation of her apparent. But as far as he could tell, Katara hadn't been busy accepting their offers. _She takes everything too seriously, as if she's always worrying about what might go wrong. _He sighed again, and rubbed a hand over his face. _If only she would laugh, would smile again. Like she did before… _

Looking up to the stars, he let them wrap him up into their mesmerizing beauty.

And listen to their song.

_Remember. _

_Remember. _

_Remember..._

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**Saeka324: **Quick little note here! If you are horribly confused, don't worry for you're probably not the one! This is hardly what the whole thing's about, but I just started off with this little bit to get things going and set the plot and develop the characters. (Just because the little beasties aren't mine doesn't mean I can't develope them!) I plan on it getting a little bit darker later on, as Zuko and Katara work out the "love connection" with Aang trying to save her and all that jazz... So, sit tight and wait for more! Oh, and tell me what you think, cause (sighs) alas, I was not born with the ability to read minds... 'tis a sad thing..

(pokes reader-chan) Shouldn't you be reviewing! Hmmm?


	2. The Shadows Behind His Eyes

**Saeka**: I know. (points to date from last update) I know. My only hope is that you can bypass the year or so that I haven't updated, and read my story again, cause you even if you're reading this right now (which I severely doubt you are) you are indeed lovely and wonderful! And I promise that this story won't be like the other Zutara ones, for if it was, Katara would have already been tragically captured by Zuko while frolicking in the forest with Aang, and would then be forced to do his every bidding. There you have it. Muchos Thankos to everyone who reviewed! If I had money, id by you all cookies! You're all gorgeous ladies, gorgeous!

And now, I hope this chapter will clear up some confusing things (as I intend for it to do!) so let's get to business!

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_Whilst running from one's past, it may be a good idea to wear high-performance athletic shoes._

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**Chapter One: The Shadows Behind His Eyes**

**Morning **

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"I want her," Zuko said simply as he stared unforgivingly up at his uncle.

Iroh heaved a deep sigh before daintily setting down his teacup upon its saucer. The sun had just woken him up with its first small rays of dawn, and already the prince was making demands! How was a poor old man supposed to sleep?He had been going over charts of the artic land in the Captain's Quarters whilst enjoying a lovely cup of green tea when his nephew banged the door open, stalked across the room, sat down in the plush leather chair behind the table and spoke those pervious ominous lines. "Ah," Iroh started, picking up a soft gray pencil and wisely ignoring the previous statement. "You are just in time for us to go over the terrain."

"There is a girl," Zuko began again, propping his feet up on the table, effectively scattering the maps and his uncle's hopes of going over them, "Who lives with the tribes of the water benders. I want her."

For the second time in as many minutes, Iroh sighed a very thoughtful sigh. _I thought we outgrew this sort of behavior years ago_, he thought helplessly. _He has not dictated to me like this ever since the air bender disappeared so long ago. Why? It is not like the boy to lose his focus over something as trivial as a girl. He will not even look at half of the women that are lined up back at home, pining and hoping he will glance their way. Why is this one different? _Ignoring the thoughts running through his mind, Iroh picked up his teacup and sipped daintily. Then: "It is not our place to take a girl from her homeland. Our quest is simple, Zuko, you know that. It involves the Avatar, not some fancy that you are nurturing at the moment."

Zuko's sherry eyes narrowed. "Last time I checked,_I_ was in charge of this expedition, not you, _old man._ I'll do what fits my mood, and I'll do it when I want, wherever I want. And I want that girl."

Even Iroh couldn't argue with the cool finality in his nephew's voice. He knew (after countless hours spent by Zuko's side) that when that particular voice was used, he might was well roll over and die before even trying to budge the prince from the subject. "And how would we manage to obtain her?" Iroh asked slowly. "A midnight raid? Genocide, just so we can fulfill your every desire, Prince Zuko? Or perhaps we bypass the killing and just go ahead and kidnap her. Is that what you want? I thought you wanted the Avatar," Iroh scoffed gently, his gnarled old hands reaching out for his teacup. "And that nothing would stand in your way."

A thin smile spread across Zuko's scarred features. "Uncle if I were stupid enough to give up everything for a girl, no matter how stunning a creature she is, we'd both be dead by now. Like everything I plan… there is a method behind this."

"Are you saying you have something else in mind?" The old man asked rather nonchalantly, turning his attention towards the maps his nephew managed to scatter.

"Not something," Zuko answered, his amber eyes glittering with hate. "Someone."

Iroh felt his heart skip a few beats as the free hand holding the map jerked slightly. Still, always the gentleman, Iroh managed to keep the look on his weathered and leathery face just as stoic as always. "The Air Bender?" he asked slowly, with sparse finality, almost if it were too much to hope for. "After all these years… is there finally news of him?"

"Yes," Zuko mused, idly tapping his fingers on the hard iron table. "I think, dear Uncle, that after seven years of searching, we finally have a clue. And the clue is that girl."

Iroh's teacup shook finely with anticipation as he brought it up to his lips. _I knew there was something behind the girl! After all, why is one woman suddenly enough to capture his attention? _"And, uh, if I may inquire," Iroh considered in return, "how exactly is this girl going to help us?"

"Do you remember, Uncle, that the Avatar had with him a set of cronies?"

A sudden flash of memories came back to the old man. A darkly tanned girl and young boy, both in signature furs and outfits of the water nation, always close to the air bender who had captured so much of their lives. "Is she one of them?" he asked, his voice trembling with the raw adrenaline coursing through his veins.

"She spoke of our dead friend, and of seven years passing since she last saw him. She even referred to him by name. I'll be damned if its not her," he said succinctly.

The fire prince's uncle fingered his chin absently. _Seven years of searching... If we take her, and gain her information, we can finally be back on track. Both Zuko and my honor will be restored completely… as much as it breaks my heart, the girl must be obtained, at all costs. I cannot bear to watch my nephew sit in exile from his people any longer. He will find the Avatar, and be back in his father's good graces. At last. _"Zuko, I think you've finally found something. And I think its time we set out to 'acquire' this something," Iroh said, picking up the scattered remnants of his maps and tucking them neatly under his arm. "It would be wise to attack before the day is over."

"Ready the men," Zuko began, pushing up from his chair and calmly walking over to wear his sword lay absently in the corner. "We leave at noon."

And as the twenty-three year old prince of the fire nation left his room, he allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. _Yes… _he mused darkly, thinking of the stunning and exotic creature he saw earlier that night. He thought of her lovely chocolate brown hair, he thought of her sparkling sapphire eyes, he thought of the way the wind danced and lifted around the long blue cloak she wore that so brought out her finely-grained, delicately tanned skin… he thought of the very feminine body that lurked underneath those heavy, artic clothes. And while he thought of those things, he was shocked at the wave of desire that coursed through him. _Why is she consuming me like this?_ _Why is she all I can think about? I've only known about her for a few hours, _he thought ruefully to himself. _Her beauty is something I've never known before… and now she is within my reach— ripe for the taking. I only have to stretch out my arm to her for her to be mine._ Forbiddingly, he shook his head, as it to rid himself of the strange turn his thoughts had taken. _I should be thinking about how, after seven long and desperate years, the air bender will be played back into my hands. _How curious, that after a long while of not knowing where the Avatar was, the Gods suddenly dealt him the card of a lifetime: a girl who made his body quicken with desire every time his thoughts turned to her, and the man that made his heart lurched every time he thought of how close he was to finally obtaining him. _You slipped out of my grip seven years ago, **Aang**_. _You will not slip out of it again. _

_The girl can wait. After all, I have more important matters to attend to than that of some silly woman. _

First, last, and in between, there was The Avatar. After all, wasn't that all there ever was?

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**That Same Morning**

**Not Quite so Far and not Quite so Away**

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As the sun burst over the canyon, it decanted out all of its light in a fiery display of deep crimsons and golden yellows that poured over the arid land. Smoldering shadows cast glances towards the cerulean sky as they were born in the dim autumn dawn. A desperate wind would blow across the arid desert land, briefly cooling the patrons that called its empty graces home. The cracked dry land cried out for water, but the shimmering mirages already appearing in the distance offered no hope for the relief of the drought that gripped the desert land.

A young man leaned out his window, his head propped up by and elbow carelessly slung across the windowsill. His dark eyes surveyed the land and its wondrous sunrise, his face devoid of any emotion that could show the thoughts beneath his mahogany eyes. Those shadowy eyes looked down into the city, listening to the pounding of hooves from donkeys against the cobblestone streets, hearing the shrill cries of merchants as they tried to rid themselves of their produce. His eyes settled down upon a group of children playing with a ball in the square. When he heard the infectious giggles of a young girl within the group of children, a small smile danced around the corner of his mouth. He watched the group play with the ball for a little longer, feeling a slight ache in a corner of his heart.

_Where did it go? _He asked himself, longing to go down and join in the game. _Where did my childhood go? _

Even as he asked himself that, the answer loomed in the back of his mind. _Because you chose to be foolish and save the world. Because you tried to get hold of something you never had. Because you lost everything trying to do that. _

The young man sighed deeply, and glanced his room to where a slender wooden staff stood forgotten in the corner. There was a time when that staff was part of him, and there was a time in his life when he and that staff took on the world. It was then that he spent his time saving the world, not foolishly hiding from it. _I was something then, wasn't I? _The young man asked himself tiredly. _I was a part of something bigger than myself. _He thought of a two people in particular, a girl with laughing sapphire eyes and a boy who tried to be more man than he could handle.

_Katara and Sokka… my old friends. Why did you leave? _

He had been on the brink of figuring out who he really was, and then he lost the people he cared about most. All because of one, stupid, thoughtless mistake he had made…

_Seven years ago,_ he thought, heaving a deep sigh._ Seven long and painful years. When will I ever forgive myself? _It was difficult to think of his old friends. With them came too many memories, too many painful memories. Yet all he had to do was close his eyes, and he was there again, about to go into a fire nation prison, rescue the prisoners, and bring justice to the world as they had so many times before. They had been through the plan so many times it had been ingrained in their brains. Aang would provide the distraction while Katara and Sokka would free the prisoners… Aang would provide the distraction while Katara and Sokka would free the prisoners…. However, anyone knows that the simplest plans had their own ways of going horribly and terribly wrong.

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_F l a s h b a c k_

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"_Now Aang," a girl with laughing blue eyes said jokingly, "Don't be too hard on them, all right?" _

_A boy with deep velvet brown eyes giggled, and slapped the girl so hard on the back that she was winded. "Don't worry, Katara! I'll make sure they know I'm there." _

"_Don't inflate his ego, sis," came the gravely voice of a boy, who could not yet be called a man. _

"_Sokka," Katara began, looking at him curiously. "All you've done all day is sit by that tree and sulk. Why?" _

_Sokka's mouth formed a deep downward curve. "I'm not sulking," he said defensively, though something in the way his deep blue eyes were looking at Aang suggested something else. "I'm just thinking." _

"_Whatever, grumpy pants!" Aang laughed as he let the slits out of a long wooden staff he carried. _

"_Hey!" Sokka stood up suddenly, and grabbed the boy by his ears. "I'm not grumpy! I just have a bad feeling about this." _

"_Why?" Aang asked as he twisted free of the boy's strong grip. "We've done this a million times before." _

_The girl walked over toward her brother and put a small hand on his shoulder. "I know what you mean. I feel it too." _

"_Then you agree we shouldn't be doing this," Sokka said quickly, searching the eyes of his sister. _

"_No." Sokka visibly deflated, but his sister pressed onward. " I just said I have a bad feeling too. We owe it to ourselves, and the prisoners. They at least deserve something besides being chained to a wall." _

"_You guys are crazy," Aang said as he mounted his staff. "We'll get through fine. And we'll get through with the prisoners!" _

"_Whatever you say," Sokka muttered to himself as he gathered his pack. _

"_Right, then I'll see both of you in about half an hour!" But, as Aang pushed off from the ground and into the sultry summer air, the one thing he didn't mention was that he felt that strange premonition Sokka and Katara had felt. He chose to ignore it, just as Katara had. After all, feelings got in the way more than they were helpful; he of all people should know that. But what he didn't know, was that when he decided the withhold his haunting fear that something might go wrong, the cost would be extremely high. And that cost would be his two best friends._

**…**_**3 Hours Later…** _

_Panting, his heart in his throat, Aang tried to crawl the last few yards out of the prison. Achingly, a brutal hand picked him up by the back of his robes, ruefully dragged him back, and set him roughly on the floor again. _

"_If you're not careful, Avatar, I might just have to cut off another part of your body," said a deep cruel voice. "And I can assure you you'll miss it a great deal more than your index finger." _

_**This isn't happening,** Aang thought brutally to himself, squeezing his eyes shut at the sudden onslaught of pain. How did they know he was coming? How could they have foreseen that? For as soon as Aang appeared within the prison, he had been ambushed, knocked out cold, and dragged to this Godforsaken area of the prison. He was close enough to see the gates, but every time he tried to escape the warden would drag him back and cause a new method of pain for punishment. Already, he had lost a finger; he had been cut, kicked, and beaten until he couldn't breathe for the air that caught in his chest. He lied there for what seemed like hours… the grisly warden keeping watch over him until the man who was to take him to the Fire Lord arrived. And as he lay there, beaten, bruised, and defeated, he couldn't help but feel alone and lost. All he could do was pray that Sokka and Katara had made it out alive. _

_Just then, his hopes were shattered as he heard the heavy footsteps of two men coming up to the warden and their urgent whispers. _

"_Ah. If you'll forgive me, Avatar, I do believe we have some guests. A boy and a girl. Friends of yours?" _

_Uncontrollably, Aang felt deep anger course through his veins. **If they touch Katara… if they even think of hurting Sokka…** Uselessly, his grunts of anger were stifled by the gag tied around his head. _

"_I see we've hit a nerve! Well then, I'll be sure they get a nice, warm welcome. Probably just as welcoming as yours! Sakoto, Yakuri, make sure this one does not get away." Cackling, the warden set off with his men, leaving two burley soldiers left alone with Aang. _

_Aang's furry grew and grew until he was almost blind with it. He bare the thought of his own failure… but his failure causing his friend's pain was just something that was simply too much to endure. Suddenly, he was himself no longer, his pain seemed to melt away as his eyes and tattoos glowed with the rage and rampant Avatar state. _

_The guards, caught off unawares dropped their weapons, made stupid with fear. Blasting them away with a jet of air, Aang rose up into the wind on a pillow of air… _

_

* * *

_

_E n d F l a s h b a c k _

* * *

And that was all Aang remembered.

His next memory was waking up in the tent of a crinkled, elderly woman, who had tended to his wounds as he had lain unconscious for weeks. She had found him on the side of the road, bleeding to death and buried among the ruined rubble of the prison. His first question was if he had seen a girl and a young man among the ruins, but the old woman only cackled and said:

"_Boy, I have only two ears and two eyes and two hands… there were too many bodies for me to examine them one by one." _

He nursed that thought, that maybe somehow his friends were still alive, but after years of searching and years of his searching yielding nothing, he finally had to accept the cold and desolate truth: his friends were gone.

All because of him.

Wordlessly, Aang spread open his left palm and looked at his four-fingered palm. A finger in exchange for their lives… a few hours pain in exchange for something he'd never see again…

He had left and moved as far away from that spot as possible, taken side routs and roads and tried to burry his pain in traveling. He saw the world, but he never saw his friends again. And every time he stopped running, the pain and memories were always there, lurking in the shadows of his mind's eye.

_Seven Years._

Trying to forget his raging past, Aang slid off of the windowsill. It was time to leave this place. He'd spent a few months borrowed time living up in this small, earth-nation town. Where he'd find himself next, even he did not know. His past had finally caught up with him here, and all he knew was that it was time to go.

Gathering up his few belongings, Aang shouldered his pack and picked up his scarred wooden staff. He would go wherever the wind blew him, because that was his new life. He had stopped chasing the dream of saving the world so long ago because even he had to face the truth:

If he couldn't even save the ones he cared about, how could he save the world?

Without even a glance over his shoulder, Aang open the door to the hallway, and shut the one that led to where he had spent his life for these past few months.

_Open one door, close another… isn't that all my life is? _With a harsh smile on his face and he hopped down the stairs two by two, Aang left the town.

**

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**Saeka324**: Hm. Sorry that after one year that's all I have to show. But I promise on my right as an authoress, that the next chapter will come in no more than two weeks. Cross my heart and hope to die! And if I break that promise… well obviously I die or something. So Thank you for your time and I assure you you will never have to wait so long again! Please keep reading my story!

I hope you're not confused anymore, cause that was a really boring chapter of me just regurgitating plot. If you are, please, don't hesitate to tell me.

And…. Review! Review! Reivew!… I'm done now.


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